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Use of sonnet throughout the ages (Shakespeare, Milton and Rossetti) - page 4
Keywords: english literature lit sonnet poetry william shakespeare john milton christina rossetti
By exploiit on 19/06/2010
Level: GCSE Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Page Number: 4 of 8 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8piece, “On His Deceased Wife”. A quick glance at the title allows us to identify the subject matter; Milton is using his poetic voice to talk of the loss he has suffered through the death of his late wife. This introduces us to the two main themes of the sonnet, life and death. Although completely paradoxical, Milton uses these both to signify that death is in fact not the end. The communal bond between two people is immortal, and exists even through death. Milton loosely follows the traditions of an Italian sonnet, beginning with an octave in which he describes his wife. However, Milton uses an unconventional ending in this piece. Typcially, an English sonnet would close on a rhyming couplet but “On His Deceased Wife” ends instead with two lines that do not correspond on a rhyming scale. This technique is emplyed to showcase his poetic voice’s angst and heartache come the ending of the sonnet. The language used by Milton in this piece is of the utmost sincerity. The religious imagery and gracious language reflect the level of respect and love that he has for his wife. In contrast to Shakespeare’s piece, Milton is presented as the more genuine writer. Shakespeare’s over exaggerated and ‘petrarchan’ sentiments fail to hold them same level of reverence that Milton’s do.
Milton’s opening line is quick to glorify his deceased wife, describing her as a “saint”. The instanteous occuption of religious language leaves a reader with the idea that this woman is in fact pure, innocent, beautiful and graceful, much like the saint that Milton metaphorically portrays her as. The poetic voice wants us to see her in the same light that he himself sees her, as more divine that any other human. This religious imagery is consistent, and proves to be a key characteristic in the sonnet. The poetic voice does not doubt that his wife is living comfortably in her after life, and has “full sight of her in heaven”. His refusal to question where her soul now rests is suggestive of the holy goodness that she possessed. He describes her coming in almost angelic terms, claiming that she arrived “vested all in white, pure as her mind”. This depicts her as completely clean and void of all sin. This woman is so full of good that she cannot commit venial or mortal sin. The poetic voice also successfully portrays his
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